Chapter 4

Iris came upstairs to find her old childhood room. It was the same as when she had left. There was nothing much that had changed except the window. The curtain was changed and she could tell it was his father's Choice. The room had the same familiar smell and old warmth which she missed a lot. Placing her bag inside the room she climbed on the bed to lie down. Looking at the ceiling she could see those old neon stars she had plastered long back. At the night hour, they were her constant companion. She made a whole new sky to watch before falling asleep.

Hours passed and her father kept his conversation in a real low voice. Iris couldn't eavesdrop and she chose to be ignorant on the matter.

Leaning close to the cupboard she opened it to get some glimpses of her old memories. Only she knew how much she had missed that place. It was never easy growing up in other countries but she chose that.

After a certain time, she decided to take a long warm shower to relax her muscles. In the meantime, her father also prepared dinner and called her down. Jeremy had already left so in that entire house only they were left.

Tyler was the first person to initiate the conversation with his daughter. Even though he was pissed off seeing his daughter's arrival, he couldn't express how joyfully his heart danced seeing her grow up like that.

"So, how is life there?"

"It's good. You know about Hailey, Samantha, David, and a few more. They love me and always keep me busy." Iris sounded normal when her father felt relaxed and better knowing that she wasn't alone at all.

"What do you think to do next?"

Being a father it was always a concern for his daughter which he couldn't deny or overlook.

"I am planning to get a specialized degree. But....." She gulped down her words knowing that it would only increase the pain for both of them.

"But what?" Tyler tried to understand when she spoke again.

"I wish to come back here dad. I miss you." There was a particular sadness in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Tyler.

"I want that too. I promise to join you back soon in the UK. But you can't stay here." The last firm of his voice was a firm that held order as well as care for Iris. She chose to avoid the discussion for the time being. Even if she got a day or two in her hometown to live, she would prefer to enjoy that instead of mourning over her father's decision.

"Fine......I need to tell you, something dad." Iris didn't know how she would manage to speak, but she decided to discuss the matter with her father. After seeing David before leaving the UK, she clearly understood that the man was truly in love with her.

"Tell me." His father passed some more steak to his daughter's plate while asking her.

"It is about David's dad." She managed to speak.

Keeping his fork aside he pulled his face up to meet her daughter's gaze. People say eyes could never lie. All he wanted was to read her expression. To know more about her choice for her future.

"David..... and.....I... I mean... He... He proposed ......

Like... Not now... I mean ...." Iris couldn't form a single sentence even after being an eighteen-year-old girl. She was still afraid of speaking about David knowing that her father never liked her male friends. He was always a possessive father.

"David wants to marry you right?" Tyler completed her leftover statement.

Iris's mouth fell open hearing that. She couldn't understand exactly what she was supposed to say at that moment.

"I mean... How are you? He just... I mean there is time... He just proposed...." Iris tried hard to suppress her anxiety and other emotional stuff.

"Well, I am your dad. Even though I stay far away from you, I know which boy is running behind you. Even after experiencing your stupid tantrums."

"Dad..... I don't throw tantrums."

"Oh yeah. Joke of this era."

Both of them laughed together and the little coziness of the room grew deep, letting them go back to their old days remembering her mischievous works. The dinner was extended with their warm words and funny memories of their past. When her mom's name came in between Iris found her father's expression turned painful. His shoulder stiffened and a cloud of guilt just brushed his face.

"You miss mom. Don't you?" Iris spoke, noticing the changed expression of her father.

"Yes. I know a part of her resides in you and me. I never thought I would lose her someday but I believe she is always with me, here." Her father pointed to the left side of his chest.

"I miss her too."

"I still live in a pang of guilt that I couldn't save her. And that is the reason I don't want to lose you. This city was never for Olivia and it would never be for you, Iris. You need to leave as soon as possible."

The last part of his sentence stabbed Iris badly in her heart. The city was never for Olivia had a separate hateful expression and the way her father described it, she knew she wouldn't be able to convince him for her long-term stay.

"Fine. I will leave the day after tomorrow. But promise me you will come back soon. You need to meet David's parents too, dad."

Iris placed her hand on her father's one pressing a little making him realize how badly she needed him beside her. She would be starting college and within a few years, David would be turning the dream into reality. Even though she would marry him later, all she wanted was her father with her. She didn't know what was still keeping him stuck in the city where neither her mother nor she, none was available anymore.

"I promise. I would be leaving this city too. Enough of this place."

Tyler replied with a heavy heart. His ancestors were living in this for the past hundred years. They had a long history in this city including their family culture. Living all these things in one go was never easy for him. Even he maintained a distance from Iris to keep her safe. To keep her untraceable for others to reach. Then he thought the situation had changed. He had to leave before it got too late for both of them.

Iris went back to her room after dinner and played chess for a time being. She had never been able to win in chess. Her father always did the best checkmate.

"Let me win...." She smiled remembering how angrily she was fighting with her father like a five-year-old child. But her father is the best dad who didn't let her win and again made her regret challenging him in chess.

Iris closed the door after getting into her room. Due to jet lag and exhaustion from the journey the moment she dropped her body in bed, her eyelids become heavy bringing heavy sleep to her eyes. She hugged the soft teddy bear placed beside her bed and slid under the duvet to sleep peacefully.

It was quite late at night when she felt a little uncomfortable as a sudden rush of heat ran through her body. She tried to push her blanket down to reduce the effect but soon realized there was no blanket on her body. Lazily she tried to open her eyes but all she felt were her heavy eyelids. It felt like someone put boulders on her eyes to make them shut purposely. To plop her body up she tried to put pressure on her elbows but found no strength to do that. Realization hit her hard when she understood she could feel, hear and sense but not be able to move a single limb of her body. The stiffness was too much as if someone drugged her just to lay on the bed for the time being.

Her throat parched and a groaning sound only came from her mouth when she tried to push open her eyes. She felt a stinging pain in her left arm as if someone was pinching her hard on that particular area. Sweat beads appeared on her forehead, and a gust of wind swept her body through the open window. All Iris could remember was closing the window before going to sleep.

"Dad....." She tried to scream but nothing came out as the paint on her hand increased. She was deeply pushed on the bed with a larger frame on top of her. Something or someone was lying straightway on her placing the weight mostly on her lower abdomen. It felt like a man sitting on her by placing both hands on her arms inflicting more pain. She tried to move but her futile attempt increased her helplessness.

Something touched her cheek, precisely a rough hand that rubbed her smooth skin before clutching it in a tight grip. Her lips protruded making her whimper a little as tears almost welled up in her eyes. All she could feel was an unknown touch and heaviness around her. There was nothing that she could see, there was nothing that she could speak. All she could do was submit without a single fight.

"Who are you...." She tried to speak again, but nothing came from her mouth except the movement of her lips that made no sense. The hand reached down her collarbone trailing the fingers. Caressing the area it moved towards the south to reach the valley of her breasts when she felt awkward as well as scared. It shouldn't happen. She was promised to David. No one else should touch her like that. What if the man sitting on her was none but a rapist or something else. Fear engulfed her, making her scream loudly.

"Help me..... Dad......dad......help...." She tried to shout louder and louder until her voice broke and all she could feel were tears and her cracked voice.

"Bang... "

"Bang....."

A large banging was heard on the doorframe making Iris jolt up from her bed. Opening her eyes she looked around the room and found that her blanket was almost soaked with sweat. And from the other side of the do,o,r his father's anxious voice was getting heard.

"Iris, what happened... Open the door now...."

Iris looked around the room to get herself in a proper state before making any decision. She found nothing except her usual room with a little night lamp that she switches on after waking up with a jolt.

The banging continued until she spoke in her shaky voice.

"Dad... Wait....."

Pushing herself up from her bed she walked on her shaky legs towards the door to open. The moment her trembling hand opened the door, she faced the panic-stricken face of her father.

"What happened to you? Why are you shouting for help?"

Her father pushed her back into the room and hurriedly came inside to check if something was wrong. Iris couldn't understand what exactly she should say at that point. There was no trace of a man or anything. If her father had already heard her scream that meant whatever she felt was nothing but a horrible dream. But it looked so real that she could still feel the man's touch on her body.

"Dad.....I think..... I had a nightmare...." Iris sobbed and Tyler looking at the tear-stained face of his daughter couldn't control himself and hugged her tightly. Patting her head softly he coaxed her with a soothing voice.

"It's the ok princess. It's fine. You are safe... Nothing to w...r... I am here...."

Iris kept her head on his father's child and tried to control her ragged breathing. She was shit scared and way too frightened. Never in her life had she seen such a Nightmare let alone any other bad dreams.

"Dad....dad...there was someone....the dream.....it looked...." Iris couldn't finish when his father moved his experienced eyes into the room and found nothing suspicious.

"There is no one in your room Iris. It was just a bad dream... Come let me put you in bed like good old times."

Tyler grabbed her daughter's hand and walked toward the bed to lay her down. She climbed the bed slowly and Tyler pulled the blanket to cover her.

"Since when have you been having nightmares?" His concerned question made her puzzled but she just nodded her head with a few confusing statements.

"It just happened today dad...But it felt so real... I felt there was someone in my room. Someone tried to harm me, dad." The last part of her sentence squeezed Tyler's heart badly. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead he patted her head again.

"There is no one in your room princess. It was just a bad dream. Forget it. If you feel scared, come to my room. I am there." He assured her before moving away from her bed. Iris was still not satisfied with his father's statement. Everything felt so real. If her father had already heard her scream that meant she was screaming for a long. Then how could she not hear them at first?

Iris was about to close her eyes when her father before leaving the room scolded her a little.

"Stop keeping the window open like this... You would catch a cold."

Iris froze at her place hearing what her father just said and watching him close the window. She clearly remembered closing that large window before drifting into sleep. Any man could slide through the window which she found open right at that moment.